TBHC 8 - Virgin Free for All- Entry #1 Review Thread

Scoring should give consideration to how much you enjoy the beer, as well as the beer’s adherence to the declared style and the presence/ absence of any technical flaws. After all, this is a competition to showcase our brewing skill and ability, and adherence to prescribed parameters is a great way to showcase that. But what’s the point in brewing a technically perfect true to style beer if it’s not also enjoyable to drink?

Aroma - Not overpowering but really enjoyable sweet citrus aroma with faint Brett phenolic on the back end. 7/12
Appearance - Bright yellow hue with a slowly receeding white head. 2/3
Flavor - Juice! Very similar to the nose but amplified with sweet citrus leading the way. Very mild malt presence, a little graininess came through as it warmed and a slight but enjoyable Brett taste to round it out. 17/20
Mouthfeel - I would've expected this to come across dryer considering this was brett fermented. Good medium body. Would've liked a bit more carb. 3/5
Overall Impression - I really enjoyed this, would drink a bunch on a hot day. Crazy how mostly clean this came out 100% brett fermented. 8/10

Aroma - Very soft aroma with some slight citrus / grapefruit 6/12
Appearance - Perfect golden straw color for the style. Very bright. Thick cloudy white head dissipates quickly and leaves a slight rim around the glass 3/3
Flavor - Some ripe apricot, lemon rind, grapefruit, very citrusy like the aroma. I get some cantaloupe which adds a little thicker creaminess to the flavor along with a little spice from the hops 18/20
Mouthfeel - Light-medium body with lower carbonation. Probably would've been a very light bodied ale if the carbonation was higher. Noted the creaminess above (maybe grainy?) 4/5
Overall Impression - Like was mentioned by liquiddegenerate it could've been a little drier. But the fruit character and spiciness was near perfect. Surely a beer I would be happy to brew and could drink all day 9/10

Aroma - Brett Brett more Brett, most of the beers I brew are Brett primary so this hits me where I like it. 10/12

Appearance - tough to get head retention with 100% brett+fresh hops, egg shell head came up quickly and reseeded quickly to a soda like carb. Pale color with a hazy non-transparent hue. 2/3

Flavor - great light bitterness with a tad of that brett bitterness coming through on the back end. Hop character is light but flavorful. More of a yeast forward profile than a malt or hop profile. 15/20

Mouthfeel - soda like carb, medium mouthfeel but cleanses the pallet for another sip. 3/5

Overall - as much as I like this beer it doesn’t really fit into a BJCP category, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of this entry. I’m a fan of late/dry hopped brett beers so this is directly in my lane. 8/10

Aroma: Musty and sweet pear with light grapefruit. Mellow clove phenolics and a hint of crackers malt as it warms.

10/12

Appearance: Clear (took care not to disturb the dregs) straw colored body with a fizzy one finger head that recedes quickly to just the rim of the glass.

2/3

Flavor: More pear and zesty citrus, followed by moderate hop character/bitterness. Slightest impression of sweet doughy malt. Very slight tartness lingers on the palate and keeps you constantly wanting another sip. Balanced and uniform.

16/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium to low carb. Initially gives the impression of being less attenuated than I would imagine a Brett beer to be, but fades to dryness in between sips. Maybe Brett B a high glycerol producer?

4/5

Overall: Hope “Fail Ale” was a joke because I definitely enjoyed this. Great example of how “clean” 100% Brett beers can be compared to mixed ferments. Refreshing, and the slight tartness mentioned above triggers salivation and carries the light hop flavor. Nice work!

Flavor: fruity citrus and mildly sour fruit dominate up front, not picking up much of that really great brett that was present in the aroma. Little bit of sourness/tartness. Pleasantly mild and very easy to drink for being a brett fermented ale. 16/20

Mouthfeel: medium body, light carb, slightly dry. 4/5

Overall: perfect for a hot summer day, too bad im enjoying this outside in freezing temperatures. The brett was not overpowering, and the fruitiness from the hops ties in well with it making a nice, clean and balanced brett ale. Good job. 8/10